Nearly a dozen people from across central Illinois will put their talents on display Saturday night, demonstrating for their audience inside Illinois College’s Rammelkamp Chapel just how much talent there is in the region.

It’s all part of the Jacksonville Symphony Society’s Talent Among Us competition.

“It’s very stiff competition,” JSS and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra member Kim Streib said. “There are a lot of excellent musicians, in the past and again this year.”

Talent Among Us got its start in 2001. This year’s competition began in early February, when hopefuls auditioned for a panel of three judges to see if they qualified for Saturday’s contest.

“Not just to make the finals but to become one of the winners is hard,” Streibe said. “It just really attests to the excellent musicians we have.”

This year’s contestants come from Jacksonville, Springfield, Quincy, Bloomington, Decatur, and Bloomington, Indiana, with two singers, three pianists, two violinists, three cellists and one trombonist, Streib said.

The competition is divided into three categories — junior youth for those ages 10-13, senior youth for those ages 14-17 and adult for those 18 and above.

“They all perform” during Saturday’s competition, Streib said. “We’ll also have a guest performance from last year’s winner, Rachel Hooker.”

Three judges — different from those who judged the auditions, Streib said — will score the performances separately before adding them up to determine a winner in each category. First place in each category receives $200 and a trophy, second place receives $100 and a medallion. The People’s Choice winner also gets $200.

“The grand prize winner is the one who scored the highest,” Streib said. “It’s going to be one of the winners of the three categories. They get $500.”

Perhaps more importantly, the grand prize winner gets an invitation to perform with the symphony.

“If they’re playing a piece that can be accompanied by a symphony, then they’ll play with the symphony,” Streib said, adding that, otherwise, they’ll perform a solo piece.

The contestants’ reasons for participating in the contest are as diverse as their talents, Streib said.

“Some are students who are studying privately and looking toward improving their playing,” she said. “Others are college students who are in music and looking toward a music career. Others are (already) in the music field.”

Whatever inspires people to try out for the competition, Streib knows what keeps her helping JSS organize the annual event.

“I’m a musician myself,” she said. “… I enjoy working with performers and helping provide them a venue for performing and participating in this event.”

Saturday’s Talent Among Us concert will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at IC’s Rammelkamp Chapel. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 7 to 17 and free to children under 7. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at County Market in Jacksonville or via the JSS website at jaxsym.com.